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Pitts and Boyle Introduce Bipartisan Fairness for Victims of Crime Act

November 6, 2015

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Joe Pitts (R-PA) and Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-PA) have joined together to introduce the Fairness for Victims of Crime Act into the House.

In June, Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) introduced this legislation into the Senate, where it has 17 co-sponsors. If enacted, this legislation would establish a point of order to stop Congress from raiding the Crime Victims Fund. Congress created this fund in 1984 to direct penalties and fines collected from criminals to pay for programs to help victims of crimes. The Fund receives no taxpayer dollars. The fund disburses to States and to victims service groups (such as Child Advocacy Centers, domestic violence shelters, and rape crisis centers) to support victim compensation and assistance programs. Under federal law, money deposited into the Crime Victims Fund may only be used to assist crime victims.

Since 2000, Congress has raided the fund for other purposes. For example, from fiscal year 2010 through fiscal year 2014, the Crime Victims Fund collected $12 billion, but gave crime victims only $3.6 billion (or 30%). Congress used the $8.4 billion difference. The legislation introduced by Toomey, Pitts, and Boyle, would stop Congress from raiding the fund again by creating a point of order against it. The bill further provides that, each year, Congress disburse the average of the past 3 years' deposits into the Fund. This will increase payments to help victims from $745 million two years ago to $2.6 billion in this fiscal year. Funds for victim service groups (e.g., domestic violence shelters, child advocacy centers, rape crisis centers) will approximately quadruple. In Section 802 of the most recent Bipartisan Budget Act, Congress once again raided the fund of $1.5 billion. The fund is still able to carry out its functions, but this still shows how easily politicians in Congress can take money that is meant for victims and use it for their own purposes.

"It is only fair that penalties taken from criminals should be used to help their victims," said Representative Pitts. "This fund was meant to do just that, not to be used as a gimmick by politicians to grow the size of government. This bipartisan idea is another example of Pennsylvania common sense, and I am proud to stand with my colleagues to introduce it."

"The Crime Victims Fund is an important tool for supporting victims in a fair and fiscally responsible manner: dispersing funds collected from criminals directly to victims in need," said Congressman Boyle. "It is unacceptable that we continue to divert these funds from their intended purpose. Fighting for these funds and securing other resources for the many non-profits and volunteer advocates working on behalf of victims of crime should be a bipartisan effort. I am proud to introduce this important legislation with my Pennsylvania colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and I look forward to working with them to empower and support victims of rape, domestic abuse, and other crimes."

"I appreciate Reps. Pitts and Boyle introducing commonsense legislation which, like mine, requires the Crime Victims Fund to disburse what it brings in each year back to crime victims," concluded Senator Toomey. "That is what was intended when the fund was established in 1984. Under these proposals, groups in Pennsylvania and across the country that assist victims of child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other crimes will see available funds more than quadruple—rising from under $18 million in 2014 to $80 million in 2016. The budget deal's misuse of monies from the Crime Victims Fund highlights why our legislation is needed more than ever. I am not going to stop fighting for its passage."